1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat trailer that also can carry a personal watercraft with a standard boat.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Personal watercraft such as the Kawasaki Jet Ski®, Yamaha WaveRunner® and Seadoo® watercraft are fast and maneuverable and large enough to carry one or two persons. Many boaters who own traditional power boat also own personal watercraft. Having both types of watercraft allows some persons in a group to fish or water ski from the traditional boat while other use the personal watercraft for other activities. Some use the personal watercraft to ferry between boats on a lake or in a marina or to run errands.
Boat owners often store their boats away from water. Consequently, they must transport their boat to and from a lake, river or ocean. Most boats are transported on an open trailer pulled by a car, truck or SUV and launched into the water at a boat ramp.
Boat ramps are inclined sections of road that begin on the land and incline into the water. To launch the boat into the water, the user backs down the ramp and allows the trailer to enter the water. The boat is secured to the trailer by a winch and cable at the front of the trailer attached to the bow of the boat. The user lets the cable out so that the boat can move back along the trailer toward the water until the boat floats completely. The user then releases the cable from the boat, rewinds the cable and drives forward off the boat dock. The process is reversed to return the boat to the trailer.
An owner can transport and launch personal watercraft in the same way. However, some persons need to transport a conventional boat and a personal watercraft simultaneously. The state of the art teaches vehicle trailer that can hold a boat and another vehicle over or under the boat. See Modson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,203 (1976), McDonald, U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,477 (1983), Low, U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,346 (1984) and others. Breeden, U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,516 (1997) mounts a personal watercraft on a carrier that mounts to the stern of a powerboat. The watercraft appears to be launched into the water while the boat is also in the water. See also Stetzel, U.S. Pat. No. 6,289,837 (2001), which mounts a personal watercraft transversely on a platform extending from the stern of a boat.